Clothes wringer



Dec. 31, 1940. T. J. LITLE, JR

CLOTHES WBINGER Filed Sept. 15, 1937 DR y INVENT @4244 ATTORNEY 4 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOTHES WRINGER Thomas J. Litle, Jr., Syracuse, N.-Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. YL, a corporation of Delaware Application September 15, 1937, Serial No. 164,018 2 Claims. (Cl; 68-274) My invention relates to clothes wringers for Washing machines.

Anobject of my invention is to provide a driving and reversing mechanism for a clothes wringer and a casing for said mechanism which may be built and assembled at a low cost.

Another object (if my invention is to provide a standard casing for housing the driving and reversing mechanism of a clothes. wringer wherein the casing is so constructed and arranged that it is adapted toreceive and support interchangeably any one of a number of different wringer constructions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a casing for a clothes-wringer in which the casing is made, in two parts, split substantially at the center of the casing and preferably on. a line parallel to the wringer rolls whereby the wringer driving and. reversing mechanism may be. conveniently assembled and the casing is particularly adapted to support the wringer rolls and the frame therefor.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a casing for the driving andv reversing mechanism of a clothes wringer wherein means are. provided for enabling the casing, together with the wringer rolls, to be swung about a vertical axis to position the wringer as desired with respect to the washing machine vat. from which the wringer assembly is supported, said means including interengaging splines which may be readily disengaged to enable swinging movement of the wringer and which may be readily engaged to lock the wringer in the desired position.v

Other objects and. advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken. in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

. Figure 1 is a front elevation of. the casing and wringer support of a clothes wringer and indieating in. dotted lines' the wringer rolls and the washing machine vat from which the wringer assembly is supported.

Figure 2 is a topv plan view of the casing for housing the driving; and reversing mechanism of the clothes, wringer.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 and showing: one-half of thecasing with the driving mechanism mounted therein.

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing the mechanism by which. the wringer assembly is releasablylocked in position.

Figure 5 .is a view takenv on the line 5.5 ,of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is aview of apart of Figure 3...

The clothes wringer casing of my invention, generally indicated by the numeral. H, is supported on a tubular column. l2 which encloses a drive shaft I3 driven from the same source of power which operates the agitator or other washing element of the washing machine. The casing for housing the driving and reversing mechanism is formed in two parts I4 and I5 preferably split in equal halves along a plane 16 extending parallel to the wringer rolls, indicated in dotted. lines and identified by the numeral H. The casing might properly be termed a clam shell type. of casing. A pair of dowels it serve to locate the halves of the casing with respectto each other to facilitate assembly of the. casing. the halves of which are secured together by screws i9.

Ihe driving and reversing mechanism comprises a driven bevel gear 2| and a pair of driving bevel gears. 22 loosely mounted on a shaft 23. The lower end of the shaft 23 is provided with a pin 24 which engages in slots 26 formed at the upper end. of the shaft IS. The complete wringer assembly through the pin and slot connection 24-26, by a vertical lift, may be. readily removed from supporting tubular column l2.

A clutch element. 21, fixed to but slidable. along the shaft, is provided with clutch faces 28 adapted to be selectively engaged with cooperating clutch faces formed integrally with the bevel gears. 22. The shaftlSis constantly driven and, as is well known in the art,. the clutch 21 is movable into driving engagement with one or the other of the bevel gears. 22 to drive the wringer rolls. in the desired direction.

The clutch element 2! is provided with a peripheral annular groove 29 in which. is positioned a roller 3! secured to a crank arm 32. The crank arm 32 is eccentrically mounted on. a shaft 33 which. extends through an opening in the casing, half of which. is formed in each half of the casing. The shaft 33 extends externally of the casing and has secured to the outer end thereof a suitable lever 34 adapted to. provide a convenient handle by which the shaft 33 and crank arm 32 maybe rotated to shift the position of the. clutch 21 in one direction or the other.

In order that the clutch member 27, when in driving engagement with either one of the bevel gears 22., may be automatically returned to neutral position out of driving engagement when the pressure on the rolls H is released, I have provided the power transmission mechanism of the rolls with a. control mechanism, generally indicated by the numeral 35, associated with the clutch operating shaft. 3% and" with the wringer the connection from the control mechanism to the. pressure release mechanism of the wringer rolls being shown at 40.

Of particular importance in the wringer casing 15 of my invention is the ease with which the driving and reversing mechanism and the control elements therefor may be assembled in the casing; The shaft 23, together with the gears 22 and the clutch 21 mounted thereon, the gear 21 and ,the

20 control mechanism for. the clutch 21 may be laid in one-half of the casing, and such parts of the mechanism which require pivot points or bearings in the casing, as indicated at 30, may be secured in position in said one-half of the casing and 25 then the other half of the casing bolted to the first half.

My novel casing structure has further advantages which are particularly important in the art of clothes wringers for the reason that most man- 30 ufacturers of washing machines do not make their own wringer and its supporting framework or housing. The wringer isv usually manufactured as a standard unit by a wringer manufacturer who may supply several washing machine builders.

35 The wringer driving and reversing mechanism and its associated casing are, however, manufactured usually by the washing machine manufacturer who normally markets several price classes of washing machines, each of which is equipped 40 with a different wringer. It is, however, desirable that the casing for enclosing the driving and reversing mechanism be a standard unit adapted to support any one of a number of different styles of wringers. The wringer casing of my invention '45 is particularly adapted for this purpose.

A pair of lugs 35 is formed integral with each half of the casing and a central bore 36 is formed in each of the lugs. When the halves of the casing are bolted together the bores 36 in the 59 lugs are .in alignment with each other and are adapted to receive pins (not shown) from which the framework for the wringer-rolls, indicated in dotted lines at 37, may be supported. Another lug 38, also provided with a centralbore, is provided 55 in each half of the casing, the two bores being in alignment when the casing is in assembled condition. These bores are adapted to receive a pin (not shown) upon which is pivotally mounted a wringer shroud, indicated in dotted lines and 60 identified by the numeral 39. The shroud and its pivotal connection to the casing may be similar to that shown in my copending application Serial No. 155,664, filed July 26, 1937.

Each half of the casing has a depending portion 65 41 semi-circular in cross section which, when the two halves of the casing are secured together, form a depending hollow column 42 encircling the supporting column i2. The supporting column [2 extends upward and butts against a shoulder 70 of the casing, as indicated at 63. Ribs are formed internally of the two halves of the column 42, as indicated at 44, to strengthen the column and provide a bearing support on the supporting column I2. The lower end of the column 42 is pro- 75 vided with an encircling annular band 46 shown in Figure 6, which is fitted over the end of the column.

The internal bore of the lower end of the column 42 is provided with splines 41, shown more clearly in Figure 4, which are adapted to mesh with cooperating splines 48 formed on a sleeve 49 which is slidable along and concentric with the supporting column I2. A bracket 5|, by means indicated at 53, is secured to the side wall of the washing machine vat shown in the dotted lines and identified by the numeral 52. The bracket 5| has a Vertically extending slot 54 in which is movable a fingerpiece 56 integral with the sleeve &9. A spring 51, one end of which butts against the lower end of the sleeve and the other end of .whichbutts against a shoulder 58, formed internally of the bracket, urges the sleeve in an upward "direction so that the splines 41 and 48 are normally in mesh. Internally of the bore in the bracket 5!, as shown more clearly in Figure 5, are splines 59 which engage with the splines 48 of the sleeve 49. An annular ring 6| is fitted over the upper end of the bracket 5! and serves to limit the upward movement of the sleeve 49, a stop 62 integral with the, sleeve being normally in engagement with the annular ring 6|.

Normally, the wringer assembly is locked in position by engagement of the splines M, 48 and 59. When the operator desires to shift the position of the wringer assembly, the fingerpiece 56 is depressed against the action of the spring 51 until the splines 58 are withdrawn from engagement with the splines ll, after which the entire wringer assembly may be freely rotated about the supporting column 12 as an axis. When the wringer assembly has been shifted to its desired position, the fingerpiece 56 is released and the spring 5! will push the sleeve t9 upward so as to re-engage the splines 48 with the splines ii, in which condition the wringer assembly is locked in position.

It will be apparent that I have provided a novel clam shell casing unit .for the driving and reversing mechanism of the clothes wringer, in which the mechanism may be readily assembled, and have provided simple and easily operable means whereby the wringer unit may be swung about a vertical axis and locked in the desired position.

It will further be apparent that various modifications may be made in the form and relation of the parts without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

. I claim:

1. In a clothes wringer for a washing machine, a casing for housing the driving and reversing mechanism of the wringer, said casing having a depending column havingthe lower end of the internal bore thereof splined, a supporting bracket having splines corresponding to the splines on the column, a splined element adapted to engage the splines on the column and the splines on the bracket to retain the wringer assembly in a fixed position, and means enabling the splined element to be moved to disengage the splines thereof from one of said sets of splines to thereby enable the wringer to be swung. about a vertical axis to a 65 desired position, said splined element being movable back into its normal position to lock the wringer assembly in its re-located position.

2. In a clothes wringer, a gear casing for housing the driving and reversing mechanism of the wringer rolls, a column depending from the gear casing, a supporting tube extending upward internally of said column and adapted to support the wringer assembly, a set of splines located on the lower end of said column, a bracket adapted supporting tube, a set of splines located in the upper end of said bracket, means for looking said two sets of splines together comprising an element lying between said sets of splines and adapted to engage them, a spring normally adapted to move said element so that said sets of splines are locked relative to each other, and means for moving said element against the action of said spring to disengage said element from one of said sets of splines so. that the wringer assembly may be swung plurality of desired positions.

THOMAS J. LITLE, JR. 

